Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night ‘Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov’

Though it was far from aesthetically pleasing, “The Black Beast”
kept pace in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
division with a fourth-round technical knockout against Shamil
Abdurakhimov in the
UFC Fight Night 102 ‘Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov’ headliner on
Friday at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. Lewis drew
the curtain 3:42 into Round 4, as he put a fifth consecutive
victory in the books.

Abdurakhimov spent the better part of three rounds frustrating the
former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder and exposing his
flaws. Time and time again, he converted ill-advised Lewis kicks
into takedowns. However, Abdurakhimov’s inability to do real damage
proved problematic and allowed his monstrous counterpart to stay
afloat in a fight that otherwise might have been lost. Finally in
Round 4, Lewis executed a takedown, trapped his prey at the base of
the cage and advanced to full mount, unleashing punches until
referee Dan Miragliotta had no choice but to step in.

In wake of UFC Fight Night “Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov,” here are five
matches that ought to be made:

Derrick
Lewis vs. Stefan
Struve: Lewis improved to 8-2 under the UFC banner by disposing
of Abdurakhimov, but the lackluster nature of his performance -- he
called it “bulls---” afterward -- could conceivably lead to a
parallel move within the division. For now, he remains on the
fringes of the top 10, well outside of title contention. Struve
last appeared at UFC 204 in October, when he submitted Daniel
Omielanczuk with a brabo choke in Manchester, England. The
Blackzilians-trained Dutchman has won seven of his past 10
bouts.

Francis
Ngannou vs. Alexander
Volkov: No one was more impressive at UFC Fight Night 102 than
Ngannou, who submitted onetime Maximum Fighting Championship
titleholder Anthony
Hamilton with a first-round kimura in the co-main event. The
Cameroon-born Frenchman has rattled off eight straight wins, four
of them since arriving in the UFC a little less than a year ago,
and appears to have the tools necessary to make noise in a division
in serious need of younger blood. Volkov, the former Bellator MMA
and M-1 Global champion, made his promotional debut at UFC Fight
Night 99 on Nov. 19, when he earned a contentious split decision
over Timothy
Johnson in Northern Ireland.

Corey
Anderson vs. Nikita
Krylov-Misha
Cirkunov winner: Anderson was merciless and efficient, as he
rebounded from a UFC 198 defeat to Mauricio Rua
with a second-round technical knockout against Sean O’Connell. “The
Ultimate Fighter 19” winner secured multiple takedowns against
O’Connell and battered the Jeremy Horn
understudy with devastating ground-and-pound before forcing the
stoppage 2:36 into Round 2. Anderson at age 27 still has plenty of
time to grow into his considerable skills -- a frightening thought
for the rest of the light heavyweight division. Krylov and Cirkunov
will lock horns at UFC 206 on Saturday in Toronto.

Gerald
Meerschaert vs. Anthony
Smith: Touching down in the UFC as a fully formed mixed martial
artist, Meerschaert did not miss his chance to make a strong first
impression. The Roufusport export needed less than a round to
submit Joe
Gigliotti on the prelims, doing the honors with a beautifully
conceived anaconda choke. Meerschaert, 28, has recorded eight
straight wins, all of them finishes, since his decision loss to
Sam
Alvey on the regional circuit in May 2014. Smith’s career is on
a similar trajectory. The 28-year-old last competed on Dec. 3 at
“The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale, where he cut down Elvis
Mutapcic with a second-round elbow strike and follow-up
punches.

Gian
Villante vs. Gadzhimurad
Antigulov: Villante withstood a firefight against Saparbek
Safarov in their stirring light heavyweight showcase, as he put
away the promotional newcomer with second-round punches. The former
Ring of Combat champion had Safarov badly hurt inside the first
five minutes, only to later be stunned himself. Villante persevered
through the adversity, zeroed in on the M-1 Global veteran’s
injured left knee with a series of kicks and closed the deal to
improve to 5-4 in the UFC. Antigulov shined in his first Octagon
appearance, as he submitted Marcos
Rogerio de Lima with a guillotine choke in 67 seconds at UFC
Fight Night 100 on Nov. 19.